General Electric Co. said Tuesday that it has made a huge advance in interconnection technologies for mobile devices.
The advances, developed at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, are expected to help the next-generation of mobile smart phone and tablet devices.
Here is what GE has to say about the new technology:
The mechanical relay has been re-born at the GE Global Research Center where a group of researchers are advancing MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) technology to create ultra-small switches that could have an ultra-large impact on system design that will drive mobile devices of the future.
These metal switches, which are no bigger than the width of a human hair, can control the flow of electricity to an array of electrical systems – from high-power devices that use kilowatts of power, to an ordinary light bulb. Future applications of the technology are far-reaching. Switches are used in everything from hand-held electronics, to industrial equipment to protection devices. What separates GE’s MEMS switch from other MEMS technologies is the unique material set developed by GE researchers that allows the switch to operate for billions of cycles under extreme operating conditions, such as elevated temperature, while maintaining extremely low contact resistance.